I keep finding myself wanting to write a bit about that whole "angry Christian Bale" audio thing that's been making the rounds, but haven't really been able to justify it--it's not really a comic-related topic, after all. Apart from Bale having played Batman in a movie I haven't seen yet. But for some reason this thing has been bothering me--and I'm not usually one to care about what celebrities get up to on their own time.
But here's what I ended up talking with the kids about last night.
You can tell a lot about a person's character by the way they treat the people they don't have to be nice to. The people they have power over.
See, a person can be unfailingly pleasant to his social equals. He can give money to the United Way, volunteer at the local soup kitchen, drive a hybrid car, and adopt all his pets from animal shelters. He can be a model citizen.
But if he yells at the cashier at the grocery store because she missed one of his coupons? Screams at his secretary if she forgets the second sugar in his coffee? Humiliates a subordinate who made a mistake? Well, regardless of everything in that last paragraph, he's not a nice person, and he's not a good person.
I will grant that I don't know the whole story behind the Bale incident. Maybe he was having a really bad day and this was the last in a long series of incidents that set him off. Maybe this guy made a habit of making that same error and this was the last straw. Or maybe it's something the guy really should have known better than to do. But you know what? It doesn't matter. Unless what he did was truly reprehensible (say, skeet-shooting with live kittens in place of clay pigeons), there's no reason for that sort of cruel, uncontrolled (and lengthy) tirade. "I was mad" is not an excuse.
Or maybe I just come from a kinder and more civilized world. (Gets off of high horse due to fear of nosebleeds.)
In any case, it gave me the opportunity to deliver some Wise Parental Advice, and that's never a bad thing.
4 comments:
Yes, I think you're exactly right, on both counts. It ISN'T a nice thing to do. I also think the "kinder and more civilized" argument is a decent one, too.
I've nver understood why some people treat wait-staff the way they do, very poorly. Maybe I go too far in the other direction, but what does a "please," a "thank you," or another kind word cost? Lord knows, there's little enough kindness in the world for anyone.
I'd have felt a lot better had Bale pretty much said "Yeah, I lost it, and it was a pretty bad thing that I did," but we're not getting that.
To bring it back to comics (and hopefully not belittle your post, which is not my intent), I think it IS a different world out there.
So much of what Marvel and DC are writing is more appropriate for anti-heroes, instead of the actual heroes most of these people are supposed to be.
Jack Bauer is the "in" guy right now, which is why I have such a hard time with the books.
As an example you may or may not agree with, I've been arguing that Luke Cage's actions in the newest NA might well have been practical and understandable, but NOT heroic (Luke gave his word to follow Osborn if Osborn helped retrieve his kidnapped daughter. Osborn did, and Luke promptly took his daughter, threatened Osborn, and left). That's not heroic to me. Realistic, maybe, but I'd always expected better from my heroes. The issue has been (in debating with others) that people seem to either get hung up on the "Osborn is evil!" claim, or that it was inevitable that Osborn would have Luke betray his principles -- it seems lost on those people that you probably shouldn't give your word to someone to get what you want, get it, and break said word. It's a very (to beat the comparison into the ground) Jack Bauer thing to do. I can't see Captain America doing it, though, and I don't find the action heroic at all.
Maybe it's a generational thing. Maybe there is a massive disconnect in the definition of "hero" between then and now. Maybe the world really has changed. I don't know.
Anyway, great post. Sorry for my rambling thread-jack :)
Take it and run,
OMG, Christian Bale is actually my mother-in-law in disguise!
Ditto, Sea!
Well said, Brainfreeze.
Not to justify telling people off, but allegedly there was more to it. I am listening to Stephanie Miller right now and a guy just called in with this story.
He works on the set in question. He was not there at the time but co-workers had related the happening. The main thing is that he said the guy told off was over much of the rest of the set and was supposedly a jerk who lorded over others his power. He said Bale was the only one with the power to tell him off. He stated that the rest of the set was feeling like they were right there with Bale.
Now, if true does this justify actions? Not really. He could have used his words and wits better. The thing is that in this sensationalized world of entertainment news, meaning the two are intertwined. There are two sides to every story. Bale looks bad, but who knows, that guy might have done similar shouting and abuse to others on that set.
Just relaying a possible other side.
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